Nkombo now in charge of UPND, says Greyford Monde

Mon, 27 Mar 2017 13:22:12 +0000

By AARON CHIYANZO

MAZABUKA Central Member of Parliament Garry Nkombo is now controlling the UPND as he solely instructed all its MPs to boycott President Edgar Lungu’s recent national address in parliament, former UPND parliamentarian for Itezhi Tezhi constituency Greyford Monde has said.

Mr Monde said that the UPND leadership was distancing itself from the recent boycott of President Lungu’s national address because it had backfired.

He explained that UPND president Hakainde Hichilema was fond of chickening out from events he had instigated when they did not go as expected.

Mr Monde who is former minister of Livestock and Fisheries said there was no doubt that Mr Nkombo was now controlling the party if he could single handedly instruct all UPND MPs to boycott the presidential address without the blessing of the top leadership of the party.

He explained that it was against the UPND’s way of operation for any member to make such a decision without the blessing of the top leadership.

Mr Monde said that Mr Hichilema was the one who instructed the MPs to boycott President Lungu’s national address in parliament but that he was now distancing himself from the incidence because the Zambian people had strongly condemned the move.

“He is now saying that the MPs made the decision on their own through their chief whip Nkombo, then he is now controlling the party if he solely made the decision without the blessing of the top leadership” he said.

Meanwhile, UPND spokesperson Charles Kakoma recently said Mr Hichilema did not instruct their MPs to boycott President Lungu’s national address in parliament.

Mr Kakoma said that the decision to boycott the presidential address was arrived at after a caucus meeting by the MPs themselves.

This was the second time the UPND had pulled that stunt after having done the same when President Lungu officially opened Parliament on September 30, 2016.